Yesterday I took the bus from Sarajevo to Mostar. I liked Sarajevo-it was a beautiful city with a very interesting history, and the old town, while filled with tourists, also had many residents walking around, shopping, eating, etc.
Mostar is a goregous town on the river, about 3 hours south by bus from Sarajevo. There is an old town on both sides of the river, and a gorgeous bridge traverses both sides. The old town, by the way, was 95% destroyed in the conflicts 20 years ago, so it is pretty much reconstructed.
I checked into the hostel around 3:00 pm I believe, after taking a long walk from the bus station (1800 meters-whatever that is) under an Arizona desert-like sun in desert like heat. After checking in, I walked around the town, and ate at a restaurant recommend to me by the hostel, which was pretty good. Because I stayed at the hostel, I received a free plum schnapps. It was good so I had another.
I then walked around more, went back to the hostel and took a nap. It was about 6:00-and I noticed I was the only one who checked into my room-a room for 5.
I later walked back out to town for dinner around sunset, and walked across the old bridge. I tried to help take someones picture but apparently I scared her. I took pictures for a while, walked into the new town and bought some oranges and musli for today, and went back to the room.
Now it was about 10:00 pm-and nobody else checked into this room for 5, where all the beds we're on the floor, so it could really sleep 10-12. The room had a TV, DVD player, and a bathroom and shower in-suite. I watched a video the hostel guy told me about before bed-showing the devastation of Mostar during the 1992-1995 war. The video showed soilders shooting, snipers going off, doctors needing to treat patients in makeshift hospitals with little equipment, a woman who found out her husband of 32 years just died in an explosion, and a victim of rape. Soothing stuff while trying to fall asleep.
